NFLPA vigorous, fair in enforcing agent rules

You printed in your Oct. 14-20 issue a letter from Kevin
Hays, a former NFL agent who praises you for labeling agents as a "sleazy" group
and criticizes the NFLPA for its supposed "non-enforcement" of rules governing
agent behavior.

Hays' comments about the NFLPA are off the mark. The NFLPA has a proven record
of vigorous enforcement of its regulations governing contract advisers. In the
past six years, we have disciplined more than 50 agents for offenses ranging
from improper recruitment of college players to overcharging of fees to veteran
players.

At the same time, people must recognize that agent discipline cannot be based
on rumor, hearsay or innuendo. As a lawyer, Hays should know that we must honor
a person's right to due process. In cases involving client stealing, which your
editor's column [in the Sept. 30-Oct. 6 issue] mentioned as the prime example
of agent "sleaziness," we need more than just accusations by one agent that
another agent has stolen his or her client.

Our player reps are still addressing ways to attack the client-stealing problem.
For example, in March they passed an amendment to our agent regulations that
prevents a prospective draftee from changing agents for a period of 30 days
after he signs with an agent. Also, the NFLPA recently added a lawyer to its
legal staff (Matt Couloute, a former prosecutor) in part to assist in the investigation
of agent misconduct.

It is easy for someone like Hays to say that he was an honest and ethical agent,
and that the NFLPA is to blame for the (supposed) majority of agents who are
not like him. But the reality is that there are relatively few agents who break
the rules, and sooner or later, those who do will be forced out of the business
by the NFLPA and other agents who cooperate in bringing the evidence forward.